Fire extinguishing method



Oct. 26, 1948.

Filed June 25, 1945 a"? H i i w. A. BEACH 2,452, 348

FIRE EXTINGUISHING METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

- ilbzlierABeacb Oct. 26, 1948 I Y w A. BEACH FIRE EXTINGiIISl-IINGMETHOD Filed June 25, 1945 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 I we 44 [limb HUM: Itifltj VIN V EN TOR.

Patented Oct. 26, 1948 S EARCti 2,452,348 FIRE EXTINGUISHIN G METHODWalter A. Beach, Chicago, Ill.,,assignor to Cardox Corporation, Chicago,Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June 23, 1945, Serial No.601,234

3 Claims.

This invention relates to methods for extinguishing fires in enclosuresin which flammable substances are employed in performing certain processor treatment steps.

It is the present practice in numerous industries to performcertainprocess or treatment steps, involvin the use of highly flammablesubstances, such as liquids, gases, powders, or the like, in relativelysmall booths or enclosed spaces whichare entirely, or almost entirely,open at one side or wall. Consequently, fires occur in such enclosuresrelatively frequently due to the quantity of wasted treatment substancethat accumulates on the floor. This accumulated material usually issufllcient to produce a flre that involves the entire interior of theenclosed space. The construction of these enclosures with a sizablepermanent opening, the readily displaceable charactor of the flammablesubstances employed, and the size of the conflagration present adiflicult extinguishing problem.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide methods ofextinguishing fires involving highly flammable substances that areburning in enclosed spaces, such as spray booths, which are providedwith relatively large, permanent side wall openings.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of methodsfor employing carbon dioxide, or other similar extinguishing medium, toeifect the extinguishment of fires involving processingor treatmentbooths or enclosures, having large permanent side wall openings, withoutendangering surrounding property as a result of scattering burningtreatment substances or causing flash-out of flame through the openings.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of two adjacent processing or treatmentbooths, or enclosures, with the fire extinguishing apparatus embodyingthis invention properly associated therewith,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View taken through one of the booths,or enclosures, of Fig. l and on line 2-2 thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1,

Figure 4 is a schematic view looking down on one of the processingbooths and illustrates the swirling motion of the extinguishing mediumthat cause the medium to swirl through a differentpath within theenclosure.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration are shown thepreferred embodiments of this invention, and first particularlyreferring to Fig. 1, the reference characters A and B designate twoenclosures or booths in which Processing or treatment steps are intendedto be performed with the aid of suitable, flammable substances, whichmay take the form of liquids, gases, or powders. These booths orenclosures are formed by the three side walls C, D and E, the rear wallsF and G, the top walls H and I, and the bottom walls L and M.

During the use of these enclosures or booths A and B for performingprocess or treatment steps on different articles, objects, or parts,-thehighly flammable treatment substance, particularly when it is sprayed orblown on the objects being treated, will accumulate on the floors L andM of the enclosures. This accumulated material, therefore, willconstitute the source of supply of fuel that feeds a fire after ignitionhas occurred in a booth. If the treatment substance is a liquid, thefuel will be formed by the mixing of vapors rising from the flammableliquid and the air within the enclosure.

To effect extinguishment of a fire within such an enclosure, or booth,it is necessary to accomplish one or more of the following:

1. Create a fire extinguishing atmosphere within the enclosed space.This is rendered diflicult bythe fact that the enclosures are entirelyopen at their front walls.

2. Cool and highly flammable substance that is feeding the fire, and allassociated heat absorbing objects and materials, below the ignitiontemperature Of the flammable substance.

3. Cut off from the fire zone the vapors that are rising from the highlyflammable substance and mixing with air to form the combustible mixture.

4. Accomplish the above without blowing the highly flammable substanceout of the booth, or enclosure, and without causing flash-out of theflame through the open side wall of the booth.

The fire extinguishing medium that is preopen sides of the enclosures.

ferred for practicing this invention is carbon dioxide. It will beappreciated, however, that other inert, or fire extinguishing,liquefiable gases may be employed, such as nitrogen, methyl bromide,etc. The extinguishing medium is illustrated in Fig. 1 as beingconducted to the two enclosures A and B by the main supply line I andthe two branch lines 8 and 9. Manually operable or automaticallyactuated control valves I and II are located in the branch lines 8 and9, respectively, to provide means for starting and stopping the fiow ofthe extinguishing medium to the discharge nozzles l2 and I3 that areconnected to the respective ends of the branch lines 8 and 9 that arelocated within the enclosures or booths A and B.

To create a fire extinguishing atmosphere within the enclosures A and B,it is necessary to discharge into these enclosures the fireextinguishing medium at a sufficiently rapid rate to take care of theloss of the medium through the Additionally, the extinguishing mediumshould be discharged into the enclosures in such a way that it willsweep across the bottom walls, or floors, of the enclosures to cut offand dilute the fuel forming vapors that rise from the highly flammablesubstance accumulated on the enclosure fioors. These two desired resultscould be accomplished very easily if it were not for the fact that thefire extinguishing medium, also, must be discharged in such a way thatits.velocity will be dissipated or reduced to a substantial extentbefore the medium sweeps the floor of an enclosure. Otherwise, thehighly flammable substance will be blown through the open side of theenclosure and the fire will be spread to adjacent areas outside theinvolved hazard. Additionally, the fire extinguishing medium should bedischarged in such a manner that it will build up or accumulate withinthe enclosure and will not cause the flame to flash-out through the openside of the enclosure.

It has been determined that all of the above desired results best can beaccomplished by so locating the nozzles I2 and I3 that they will occupypositions approximately two-thirds of the way back from the open frontsof the enclosures and relatively close to one side wall. In addition,the nozzles should point downwardly, or toward the adjacent side walls,at an angle of approximately 45 and should point backwardly, or towardthe back walls, at an angle of approximately 15. This preferred locationand angular arrangement is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

By considering Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that this location andarrangement of the discharge nozzle !2 causes the dischargedextinguishing medium to impinge against and be deflected by the adjacentside wall C and then to impinge against and be deflected by the rearwall F. These two deflections of the discharged stream of fireextinguishing medium cause the latter to partake of a swirling motionwithin the enclosure and to sweep across the floor, to dilute and cutoff rising vapors, after being deflected by the rear wall F.Consequently, the velocity of the discharged medium, by the time itreaches the floor, is reduced to such an extent that it will not blowthe highly flammable substance through the open side of the enclosure.The location of the discharge two-thirds of the way back from the openfront of the enclosure causes the extinguishing medium to build up atthe back of the enclosure first and to work toward the open front as asolid cloud or bank of extinguishing atmosphere.

Again referring to Fig. 1, it is pointed out that if the booth, orenclosure, is large enough to be represented by the two booths A and B,when thrown together by the removal of the intermediate side wall D,both of the discharge nozzles I2 and [3 should be employed to effectextinguishment in this large enclosure. With the intermediate side wallD removed, and with both nozzles discharging the fire extinguishingmedium, the two discharges will meet and blend together at theintermediate zone of the enclosure. Consequently, a solid fireextinguishing cloud or bank will be formed throughout the entirevertical section of the enclosure, at the rear portion thereof, and willadvance toward the open front in the same manner as has been describedabove in connection with the enclosure A.

Referring now to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the fire extinguishingmedium supply line H is so arranged that the discharge nozzle I5 islocated about two-thirds of the way back from the open front of theenclosure and is so positioned that the discharged stream will firstimpinge against the top wall H at approximately the transverse centerline thereof. The discharged stream then will be deflected toward andwill impinge against the side wall C of the enclosure. After thisimpingement, the extinguishing medium will be caused to sweep across thefloor L as a result of the swirling motion imparted to the extinguishingmedium.

This embodiment of the invention will not take care of as wide anenclosure or booth as the nozzle arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5inclusive because the velocity of the discharged medium is reduced to agreater extent by the time the medium sweeps the floor of the enclosureand passes over to the vicinity of the side wall D. That is to say, ifthe enclosure is too wide, there is a detectable delay in extinguishingthe fire at the side of the enclosure that lies adjacent the Wall D.

A suitable nozzle for discharging the fire extinguishing medium into theenclosures is illustrated in the patent of Harry Ensminger, No.2,289,352, issued July 14, 1942.

It is to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exactorder of method steps as they have been disclosed, for variations andmodifications of the same, which fall within the scope of theaccompanying claims, are contemplated. It further is to be understoodthat the particular type of apparatus herein shown and described is tobe taken as a preferred example of the invention, and that variouschanges in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A method of extinguishing a fire involving a highly flammable,readily displaceable substance that is burning on the floor of anenclosure that is open at its front, comprising releasing liquid carbondioxide into the enclosure to produce a mixture of snow and vapor, andso directing the mixture that it will impinge against and be deflectedby two angularly arranged walls of the enclosure to reduce the velocityof the discharge before the extinguishing medium reaches the floor andto cause the medium to sweep across the floor in a directionsubstantially paralleling strata amt:

the open front for cutting off flammable vapor rising from the floor tofeed the fire.

2. A method of extinguishing a fire involving a highly flammable,readily displaceable substance that is burning in an enclosure that isopen at its front, comprising releasing carbon dioxide into theenclosure to cause its sudden expansion to convert it to a snow andvapor mixture, and directing the said mixture at such an angle withrespect to a rear corner of the enclosure that the mixture will impingeagainst the two angularly arranged walls forming said rear corner in ageneral downward direction and inwardly away from the enclosure openingto reduce its velocity and to cause the resultant extinguishingatmosphere to build up at the rear of the enclosure and to move towardthe front opening as a dense cloud or bank.

3. A method of extinguishing a fire involving a highly flammable,readily displaceable substance that is burning on the fioor of anenclosure that is open at its front, comprising releasing liquid carbondioxide into the enclosure to pro-.

duce a mixture of snow and vapor, and directing the mixture at such anangle with respect to the top wall of the enclosure that the stream willimpinge successively against said top wall and a. side wall to reduceits velocity and to give the medium a swirling motion within theenclosure 6 which will carry it across the floor in a directionsubstantially paralleling the open front for cutting off flammable vaporrising from the floor to feed the fire.

WALTER A. BEACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: 10

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 301,744 Monch July 8, 1884726,200 Stover Apr. 21, 1903 1,760,359 Hiss May 27, 1930 1,831,193Quitschalle Nov. 10, 1931 2,050,687 Allen Aug. 11, 1936 2,084,719 AllenJune 22, 1937 2,090,279 Allen Aug. 17, 1937 2,097,908 Allen Nov. 2, 19372,125,057 Wood July 26, 1938 2,202,176 Timpson May 28, 1940 2,283,775Thompson May 19, 1942 2,322,758 Williamson et a1. June 29, 1943 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 1,084 Great Britain Jan. 13, 1912

